Nov. 11, 2004
ORLANDO - The UCF men's soccer team (8-6-2, 7-2) takes its first step toward defending its conference tournament title when it takes on No.4 Georgia State in the semifinals of the 2004 Atlantic Sun Championship. The match is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Friday in Macon, Ga.
The Golden Knights, which won a share of their second consecutive regular season conference championship, earned a first round bye thanks to their top seed. The team would like nothing more than to capture their third straight tournament crown and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in UCF's final year in the A-Sun.
Meanwhile, GSU advanced to the semis after defeating No. 5 Belmont, 2-1, in overtime on Thursday afternoon.
The Knights came away with a 2-1 victory over the Panthers in the regular season thanks to first half goals by senior Jaime Planells and sophomore all-conference honoree Alejandro Gessen. UCF's junior goalkeeper and two-time Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year Ryan McIntosh made seven saves, while Paulo Gutierrez stopped four shots for GSU.
The Golden Knights also have a 6-3-0 all-time record against Georgia State.
If UCF wins, the team will compete in the tournament finals on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Macon, Ga.
Up Front... In a situation similar to last year, the Golden Knights are second in the Atlantic Sun with 264 shots, but they drop into a tie for sixth in the conference with only 23 goals scored. Junior Jon Imran is the team's leading scorer with eight goals, an effort that ranks him in a tie for third in the A-Sun. Imran is tied for seventh in overall scoring with 17 points.
Meanwhile, junior Billy Judino, who has also seen time at midfield and more recently made the move to defender, has added four goals. He is tied for fifth in assists with five brining his point total to 13 on the year.
In The Middle... Despite losing sophomore attacking midfielder Rafael Teixeira due to injury early in the season, UCF's transition game has remained solid thanks to the leadership of senior John Sobczak and sophomore tri-captain Alejandro Gessen. Sobczak, who helped anchor the backfield until recently, has made significant contributions both offensively and defensively this season. He scored the second goal of his career against Mercer, sending the game into overtime.
The 2003 A-Sun Freshman of the Year, Gessen is third on the team in goal scoring with three and has gone 2-for-2 in penalty kicks this season. His successful penalty kicks were the gamewinners at Florida Atlantic and against Georgia State.
At Back... The UCF defense has given up only 19 goals this season, a mark bested only by tournament participants Belmont and Florida Atlantic, which have allowed 15. Only twice the Golden Knights have allowed more than two goals in a game.
Several players have found their way into the lineup in the backfield. Freshman Phillip Michael Hall and, until a recent injury sidelined him, senior tri-captain Tim Sobczak were the only consistent starters. Sophomore Eric Loyd, John Sobczak and Billy Judino have also logged time at back as well as senior Efe Moniedafe and Adam Holden and redshirt junior Derron Cornwall.
Big Mac... Junior tri-captain Ryan McIntosh can be counted among the best goalkeepers in UCF history. The native of Cooper City, Fla. has started 58 consecutive matches in the goal for the Golden Knights and continues to move up the ranks in the school's record books. McIntosh is currently third all-time in career shutouts (16) and fourth all-time in career saves (266). He needs only 10 more saves to tie Dan Cordia in third place. His career goals-against-average of 1.21 is fifth all-time.
This season alone, McIntosh leads the A-Sun in shutouts (5) and is second in saves (75) and third in GAA (1.12).
Ironmen... Ryan McIntosh isn't the only player that has made consistent appearances in the lineup. Fellow tri-captain Tim Sobczak made 53 consecutive starts for the Golden Knights before suffering an injury against Mercer.
Meanwhile, midfielder Alejandro Gessen has missed only one start in the past two years but made appearances in all 37 matches.
The Power Of One... Nine of the Golden Knights' matches this season have been decided by a goal. In those games, UCF has compiled a 5-4 record.
Fab Freshmen... Six rookies have been impressive for the Knights' thus far this season. While Oscar Ortiz, Scott Baron, Islam Rashwan and Gissur Jonasson have played well and made their way into the starting lineup, Phillip Michael Hall and Adham Rashwan have consistently stood out in the crowd.
Hall, who was 16 at the start of the season, is one of three players to start all 16 matches this season. He received an early birthday gift when he scored the game-winning goal against league rival Campbell on Oct. 16. Hall has regularly anchored the defense but also seen some time in midfield.
Meanwhile, Adham Rashwan, who transferred from USF in the summer of 2004, is tied for third on the team in scoring with two goals and two assists for six points. He tallied the gamewinner at Gardner-Webb and started nine of the 16 matches he's played.
Holden On... As a walk-on in 2003, senior defender Adam Holden worked his way into the starting lineup for two matches before suffering an injury during the game against Centenary. His dedication and hard work turned what is normally an eight-month rehabilitation into four months and he has seen action in UCF backfield for six games this season. Holden's career highlight came on Thursday when he scored the game-winning goal against Jacksonville to give UCF its second consecutive regular season Atlantic Sun Championship. He was named A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
All In The Family... For the Golden Knights, soccer is a family affair. The 2004 roster boasts three sets of brothers, including two sets of twins. Seniors Tim (#27) and John Sobczak (#21) have both been regular starters this season in the backfield and midfield, respectively. Sophomore Alejandro Gessen (#10) is one year behind twin brother and junior midfielder Adrian Gessen (#17) due to injury he suffered prior to his freshman year. Transferring from USF, redshirt freshman Adham Rashwan (#13) joined younger brother freshman Islam Rashwan (#12) as a Golden Knight.
The Golden Knights are 2-1 when four of the five brothers have made it into the lineup. Only Adrian Gessen hasn't played in a game this season.